Transfer board for vertical presses



Nov. 10, 1936.

INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY? Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 19,

8 Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for accurately delivering successive sheets from a supply stack to the printing mechanism of a printing press, particularly of the type commonly known as the Miehle Vertical.

In presses of that type successive sheets to be printed are successively delivered from the top of a supply stack to the impression cylinder across a tilting transfer table with which are associated various mechanisms intended to assure proper positioning of each sheet before its leading edge is gripped by grippers carried by the impression cylinder.

Accurate sheet positioning (as to every sheet) is, of course, highly desirable but heretofore, at times, has not been attained.

My present invention involves the hereinafter described changes in and additions to the transfer table over which the sheets are successively delivered to the impression cylinder.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a well-known Miehle vertical press to which my improvements have been applied;

Fig. 2 a top plan view of my improved transfer table, on a scale larger than Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a side elevation of said table, on a scale larger than Fig. 2, and approximately in sheetreceiving position;

Fig. 4 a View similar to Fig. 3 but with the table approximately in sheet delivering position; and

Fig. 5 a fragmentary section, on line 55 of Fig. 2, and approximate double size.

In the drawing 10 indicates the impression cylinder, I l the supply stack of paper to be printed, l2 the suction head of the usual sheet-feeding mechanism and I3 the chase-frame commonly found in a Miehle vertical press.

In this type of press the chase-frame and cylinder carrier (in which the impression cylinder is journaled) are intermittently vertically reciprocated in opposite directions and between the supply table and the impression cylinder is a vertically-reciprocating tilting transfer table bridging the gap therebetween and flanked, at its delivery edge with a suction plate M with which are associated guides I5 which position the sheets axially of the impression cylinder.

In standard presses of this type the abovementioned transfer table is an imperforate fiatfaced table. Instead of this usual transfer table I substitute a table I6, of the same size but slotted, transversely relative to the axis of cylinder ID, as indicated at IT. Each of these slots 1934, Serial No. 716,253

ly conified, as shown, with a base slightly larger than the width of slot l9 so as to rest upon the adjacent edges of strips I8. Each pin 2| is held in place frictionally by a spring 22 sleeved on shank 20 and compressed between a washer 23 anchored on the shank and a washer 24 sleeved on the shank and bearing on the under faces of strips l8. Each pin 2|, along one side, is preferably provided with an accurate gauge face 25 which may be accurately spaced from the receiving position of the grippers of the impression cylinder by shifting the pin in its slo-t IS. The pins 2| project only a short distance above the upper face of table l6 so as not to interfere with the operation of the sheet delivering mechanism.

In presses of the type under construction the general operation, which is well understood, is substantially as follows:

At the time of completion of an imposition the chase-carrier is at its lowest position, the impression cylinder and the transfer board are at their highest position, the transfer board is tilted so that its delivery edge is higher than its receiving edge, as shown in Fig. 3, and the sheet delivery mechanism is in the position shown in Fig. 1. Continued operation of the mechanism causes the take-off mechanism 26 to remove the freshly printed sheet from the impression cylinder, the impression cylinder to descend, the chase-carrier to rise, the sheet delivery mechanism to pick up a sheet from stack l l and carry it over the transfer table and drop it thereon, the transfer table to descend with the impression cylinder and toultimately tilt to the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the freshly delivered sheet may slide from the transfer table and the cross plate [4 to a position where its forward edge may be gripped by the gripper heads of the impression cylinder, whereupon the impression cylinder rises,. the chase-carrier descends, the transfer table rises, and the freshly printed sheet is delivered.

Proper alignment of the forward edge of the fresh sheet axially of the impression cylinder is dependent upon a gravity settling of the sheet against the stems of the gripper heads on the impression cylinder, the sheet being jostled, axially of the cylinder during the descent of the transfer board. During this period the sheet is likely to adhere to the transfer board, due to static and, if the sheet, at the time of its deposit upon the transfer table, is slightly canted relative to the axis of the impression cylinder, there is no gravity tendency to straighten the sheet.

In my construction the pins 2|, when properly set provide abutments for the rear edge of the freshly deposited sheet. If the sheet, at the time of its deposit on the transfer table, be slightly canted relative to the axis of the impression cylinder, one or more of the pins 20 will tend to bar descent of the immediately adjacent portion of the sheet to the surface of the table, as indicated in Fig. 3. At this time the upper ends of these pins are inclined away from the vertical plane of the trailing edge of the freshly deposited sheet and the transfer board is upwardly inclined so that the obstructed edge of the sheet, as shown at the right in Fig. 3, does not have sufficient weight to swing the sheet upon the transfer table but, as the transfer table descends, currents of air are established relatively upwardly through the slots 19 of a transfer table, thus tending to flutter the sheet upon the transfer table and permit a gravity descent and consequent twisting of the sheet, and at the same time the transfer table is tilted downwardly, the combined effect of table movement and pin coaction with the trailing edge of the sheet being to insure a proper setting of the sheet relative to the gripper heads of the impression cylinder.

It will, of course, be understood that various means for setting the pins 2| in desired relation to the delivery edge of the transfer table may be adopted without departing from my invention; that said means may be such that independent perforations of the table are desirable.

I claim as my invention:

1. For use in connection with a printing press embodying sheet-forwarding means, verticallyreciprocable impression means, and sheet-supply supporting means laterally spaced therefrom; a perforated vertically-reciprocable tilting transfer board interposed between the sheet forwarding means and the impression means, the upper face of said transfer board carrying an upward projection having a plane portion facing and parallel with the delivery edge of the board and spaceable therefrom to form an abutment engageable by the trailing edge of a sheet deposited on the transfer board, and said plane portion being surmounted by a tapered portion.

2. For use in connection with a printing press embodying sheet-forwarding means, verticallyreciprocable impression means, and sheet-supply supporting means laterally spaced therefrom; a vertically-reciprocable tilting transfer board interposed between the sheet forwarding means and the impression means, the upper face of said transfer board carrying an upward projection having a portion facing the delivery edge of the board and spaceable therefrom to form an abutment engageable by the trailing edge of a sheet deposited on the transfer board, said transfer table also having vertical perforations open to atmosphere between said abutment and the delivery edge of the table.

3. For use in connection with a printing press embodying sheet-forwarding means verticallyreciprocable impression means, and sheet-supply supporting means laterally spaced therefrom; a

perforated vertically-reciprocable tilting transfer board interposed between the sheet forwarding means and the impression means, said board being perforated by slots transversely of its delivery edge, and an abutment pin adjustably mounted in each of said slots, each of said pins having a portion above the plane of the board and spaceable from said delivery edge to form an abutment engageable by the trailing edge of a sheet deposited on the transfer board.

4. For use in connection with a printing press, embodying sheet-forwarding means, verticallyreciprocable impression means, and sheet-supply supporting means laterally spaced therefrom; a perforated vertically-reciprocable tilting transfer board interposed between the sheet forwarding means and the impression means, said board being perforated by slots transversely of its delivery edge, an abutment pin adjustably mounted in each of said slots, and spring-urged friction means associated with each pin for frictionally holding said pin in adjusted position in its slot, each of said pins having a portion above the plane of the board and spaceable from said delivery edge to form an abutment engageable by the trailing edge of a sheet deposited on the transfer board.

5. An article of manufacture for use as a transfer board for vertical type printing presses, comprising a fiat-surfaced main body, and a plurality of substantially conical sheet abutment pins associable with and projecting upwardly from the upper surface of said board and adjustable laterally relative to the delivery edge of said board, said board, between said pins and the delivery edge of the board, being perforated.

6. An article of manufacture for use as a transfer board for vertical type printing presses, comprising a flat-surfaced main body, and a plurality of sheet abutment pins associable with and projecting upwardly from the upper surface of said board and adjustable laterally relative to the delivery edge of said board, said board having perforations through which vertical air currents may be established as a result of vertical movement of the board.

'7. An article of manufacture for use as a transfer board for vertical type printing presses, comprising a flat-surfaced main body having a plurality of slot perforations extending laterally of its delivery edge, and a short abutment pin slidably adjustable in each of said slots and pr0- jecting above the sheet-receiving surface thereof.

8. An article of manufacture for use as a transfer board for vertical type printing presses, comprising a fiat-surfaced main body and a plurality of sheet abutment pins associable with and projecting upwardly from the upper surface of said board and adjustable laterally relative to the delivery edge of said board, each of said pins being formed with a plane surface facing and substantially parallel with said delivery edge, and with a contiguous surface immediately above the upper end of said plane surface, and inclined upwardly and away from said delivery edge, said board being perforated between the said pins and the delivery edge of the board.

WILLIAM F. MATTHEWS. 

